Breaking Bad - Season 5, Part 1 - Sundays on AMC

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Your number 3 was my number 1. One of the best episodes of TV I've ever seen and an example of why Gus was an incredible villain. I was tense throughout.
 
goodfella said:
Thanks for the post blah.
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No worries, I hope others share some different moments they really enjoyed! Good avatar by the way, the XXYYXX album is fantastic.

EDIT: Nice one, Carbonox. The top 3 was incredibly difficult to give an order to, as each of those moments would have been the best moment by far in most other shows.
 
Cornballer said:
FWIW, it's up on the AMC video player.
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Best scene in the entire show IMO. Despite having watched it more times than I can recall, it is still one of the most intense "oh shit" moments on television. It was like watching a train wreck in motion that just kept going and going. Best scene in the show?

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Flash said:
Breaking bad is probably one of the biggest word of mouth shows. Crazy how pretty much no one (myself included) knew about this for the first 2 or 3 seasons. I think after season 3 the word of mouth for the show sky rocketed.
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The funny thing is that I have the hardest time actually getting anybody to watch the show. I've only met one person in real life who actually watches the show, and even though I've recommended it to anybody I can when the conversation goes towards TV shows, nobody's actually tried it yet.

also... because this season is split into two does it mean that Jesse and Walt are eligible for more emmy's?
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Yup. The upcoming awards next month are going to be for Season 4, while the ones next September are for Season 5a, and the September after that will be the awards for 5b.

I'd love it if Cranston swept it and won the best actor award for every season he was in.
 
blahblah...blah said:
In the spirit of the latest LTTP Breaking Bad thread, which made me relive seasons 1 and 2 (which I haven't seen in a long time, by now), I thought it might be interesting to see people's top 10 moments of the show so far, up to and including the latest episode. I don't think you'll find much controversial in here, except perhaps number 10, but still, it just goes to show how many amazing moments there are in this show. Note also that many fantastic episodes don't get a look in, as they lack a single defining scene to me - such excellent episodes include Better Call Saul, 4 Days Out, and Full Measure).

10. The Talking Pillow

This might seem an odd choice for some of you, but this scene was one of the first that really showed off how powerful the concept was, at least to me. Powerful acting by everyone involved. Look at Walt there, and marvel at how he has changed. Can you really imagine the man in that scene doing what he's done in the last few seasons? It also highlights how everything that has happened was because of him, and his choices.

9. Assembling the Plate

And this was the moment that made me realise how great this show had the potential to be. His first kill, after spending a slow episode getting to know Krazy 8, and even feeling sympathy for him, all led up to the rollercoaster of fear as the plate was assembled, tension as Walt went down to the basement, and then brutal, visceral action as he killed his prisoner.

8. Welcome to Mexico!

The absurd gruesomeness of the head on the turtle is then eclipsed by the devastating gore following the bomb blast. One of the first moments, other than when Hank kills Tuco, that we see Hank's bravado act stripped away, and his fear bubble to the surface. Also very effective at introducing the Cartel as larger players in the series.

7. Jane's Death

I couldn't find a good video for this, but my word was this a dramatic moment. Most people's sympathy was not with Jane by this point in season 2, but she had some redeeming features in the happiness she brought Jesse. To see Walt stand back and allow her to die was dark (not as dark as Gilligan initially intended, at least) and the mental torture which it put Jesse, and Jane's dad through, has had continued, tragic effects throughout the series.

6. This...isn't meth!

This is notable for two reasons: the first real appearance of Heisenberg, and the first "yeah science!" moment. The two combined make this an absolutely seminal moment in the series. The suspense is built up by the episode beginning with a now-bald Walt walking away from a scene of destruction.

5. Run!

What makes this scene, as much as the gorgeous cinematography and editing, is the suspense created by the sound design. Both the music cue, and the overall arrangement, with the gradual creeping-in of the engine sound, make this an incredibly tense and dramatic moment. Combine that with Walt's merciless entrance, saving Jesse and effectively sealing their fate with Fring, and you have a scene that could have easily functioned as the finale to season 3.

4. Ding ding ding ding ding

Immediately before this scene, Gus walks in slow motion, backed by an instrumental version of Apparat's Goodbye, into the nursing home where most of us know he will meet his end. By this stage in season 4, Tio had seen a lot of development as well, and to see a character that emerged as a plot device in early season 2 eventually be used to take down the omnipresent threat of seasons 3 and 4 was as joyous in its clever construction as it was alarming in its gore. The moment would have been in the top 3, had Gus never emerged from the room, but Gilligan felt the need to be unambiguous given the Gale fiasco between seasons 3 and 4.

3. Now, Don Eladio, you have my permission to die

One of the show's best, and most cathartic action scenes. Gus may have been evil, but the Cartel were just as bad, and given Mike and Jesse were also in danger, there was a palpable sense of relief seeing everything go to plan. The shot of Gus walking out of the house, which perfectly mirrored Don Eladio's entrance in episode 8, was very satisfying, as was Gus' feigned speech of strength as they made their escape.

2. Where is the Money?!

It was an incredibly difficult decision between this and the number 1 moment, and I can't possibly justify placing this second any more than I could have done had the ranking been reversed, so I won't bother. We all know why this is amazing - the haunting music, the lighting, the acting, everything came together to make this one of the most defining moments of the entire series. As the top comment says: Walter White died at this moment, and Heisenberg emerged.

1. One Minute (thanks Cornballer)

The parking lot shootout came so early in season 3 that it almost seemed like Hank was more likely to die than the twins, who had been painted as the season's antagonists. It was incredibly frustrating, in a good way, to watch as all the pieces aligned to leave Hank, unarmed, being tracked down by the twins in a car park, having just given an "everything will be alright" speech, which usually signals imminent death, to Marie. The car alarm that goes off after Hank crushes the first of the twins carries on, dimly in the background, throughout the scene, as the second twin tracks a bleeding, wounded Hank through the parking lot. In the end, it is the spare bullet that saves Hank, capping off what I thought was the most tense, engrossing and accomplished moment of the entire series.
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I loved this. Great job with this post, all stunning moments for the series. I don't think #1 is the top though, but certainly top 10. I would rather have Crawl Space at #1 I think. What about Gus' flashback at the pool? I think that was his best display of acting.
 
is it ever explained who called hank before the shootout?

Also i thought we were supposed to learn about Gus' past! now that
mike
is dead how are we supposed to know :(
 
FUCK YOU WALT. GOAT MIKE BETTER BE AVENGED.

Just watched this week's ep, fuck. Was I the only one who burst out laughing when Walt realised he could've just got the names from Lydia?
 
Also this is how I'd rate the seasons so far (along with my highlight of the season):

Season 1: 8.5/10. Highlight: "This is not meth!"

Season 2: 8/10. Highlight: Jane's death.

Season 3: 9/10. Highlight: "Run!"

Season 4: 9.5/10.

Highlight: "Where is the money, Skylar?!!", but many more. Best season of T.V. of all time.

Season 5 [part one]: So far looking like between 8.5 - 9. The highlight being the train robbery scene.
 
blahblah...blah said:
6. This...isn't meth!

This is notable for two reasons: the first real appearance of Heisenberg, and the first "yeah science!" moment. The two combined make this an absolutely seminal moment in the series. The suspense is built up by the episode beginning with a now-bald Walt walking away from a scene of destruction.
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LOL OMG guys...at 2:33, you can clearly hear the crazy scream of Howard Dean. :D

EDIT: Direct clip link
 
JasonMCG said:
LOL OMG guys...at 2:33, you can clearly hear the crazy scream of Howard Dean. :D
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I couldn't frigging believe it when I first saw that. I yelled "HOLY SHIT WAIT," rewound and played it again. I was laughing my ass off. My dad, who I caught up on the s1-2 BDs with, was sitting there thoroughly confused :lol
 
blah, I agree with your list almost completely.

I think the ruse Gus did to kill off the cartel is awesome.

In comparison killing off Gus, I wouldn't include in the top 10 (personally). Once it was established Hector was working with Walt, it was fairly predictable. Also, I didn't like the cheapo CG "Two-face" Gus walking out of the blast.

For a show that has been so consistently gritty and grounded in reality (in terms of violence), that CG shot was cheap.
 
Tyler the Creature said:
I loved this. Great job with this post, all stunning moments for the series. I don't think #1 is the top though, but certainly top 10. I would rather have Crawl Space at #1 I think. What about Gus' flashback at the pool? I think that was his best display of acting.
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Honestly, there are so many great moments in this show that any list of just ten of them is going to be missing a lot of good ones.

Just to throw in some of my own, in no particular order (well, chronological order):

Emilio and the Bathtub: This was the moment where the show really hooked me. Don't get me wrong, I loved the pilot and everything in the second episode leading up to this moment, but until then, I was skeptical. At the end of the pilot, I remember thinking "that was pretty good, but I wonder if they can keep it interesting", but the fact that the entire second episode revolved around Walt and Jesse dealing with the fallout from the pilot made me realize that this show was a different sort of beast. Nothing was going to be just swept under the rug. Dead bodies weren't going to be magically disposed of, and sometimes things go wrong and people sometimes survive poisonous gas and have to be dealt with.

Walt decides to get chemo: This one follows up on the talking pillow scene. The next morning, Walt wakes up after Skyler's already gotten out of bed. He looks over where his spouse usually sleeps, smells the lotion on her nightstand, and sees the stack of books she's been reading about coping with cancer. He then sees that his cancer affects her too, and even though it's his life, it's not all about him. This scene stands in stark contrast to how hostile towards her he is now.

The culmination of Jesse's Very Bad Day: Even though most of "Down" was basically Jesse getting crapped on, it really reached a low point when, after getting kicked out of his aunt's house, having his friend turn him away, and getting his motorcycle stolen, he ends up falling into a port-a-potty and cries himself to sleep on the floor of the RV. Up to this point, Jesse was a kind of a one-note character, so it was nice to give him a little more dimension.

All of "4 Days Out": Yeah, I don't care that it's not a single moment, it's still my favorite overall episode of the series. It's almost entirely focused on Walt and Jesse together, which is always a good thing (Fly haters be damned), and it's a huge roller coaster. We start with Walt seeing his reflection in the screening, and we all think the worst. After tricking Jesse into a weekend of cooking (setting the stage for what would be a long history of deceit between the two), there's two great montages broken up by some humor ("Funyuns are awesome", "How are you even alive?", etc), followed by that great moment where Walt calculates how much the meth they just cooked is worth.

Then we get to the drama. The RV's battery is dead, their generator's fried, they're out of water, and all of the sudden the celebration drastically changes to pure survival. Eventually, after Walt's science knowledge saves the day, we think the episode's over, but wait, what about that scan he took way back at the beginning? Turns out Walt's actually in remission, and we close the episode with Walt realizing that he's going to have to live with what he's become. While other episodes might have better individual moments (although "...a robot?" is one of my favorite lines in the series), this episode was just so well done that I can't help but gush over it.

The twins on Walt's bed: This one really turned the conventional pacing on its head. I think most everybody is used to the standard seasonal "Big Bad" progression in television shows, and were subconsciously thinking that Tuco's cousins were going to follow a similar path. After they were introduced in the S3 premiere, I know that I was expecting them to remain a constant threat for most of the season, inching ever closer to finding out who Heisenberg really was, leading to some sort of confrontation between them at the end of the season. Having them learn Heisenberg's name and break into his house in the second episode of the season really changed things up, and made the threat seem that much more real.

Continuity: This one's a collection of several small moments (often single lines of dialog) that give nods to the show's past events in a way that isn't overly referential, but still helps with the "world building". Off the top of my head, there's Jesse explicitly requesting that Badger's cousin install a working "buzzer that buzzes" in the RV after the events of "4 Days Out", the pizza place that "passes the savings on to you" by not cutting their pizzas, explaining why the one that Walt threw on the roof was in one piece, Walt and Jesse very obviously remembering Emilio when Mike asked if the hydroflouric acid would dissolve Victor properly, and their very adamant refusal of the Laser Tag place as a new base of operations this season, recalling the events of "Full Measure".

Walt and Jesse trapped in the RV: Even though we knew that Hank most likely wasn't going to get in there, it was still tense watching him circle, shark-like, around the RV with Jesse and Walt stuck inside. As always, the tension was masterfully broken up with some great humor, and Walt's resolution to the situation was effective and yet everybody, even Saul, recognized how reprehensible it was.

Jesse's speech in the support group in "Kafkaesque": Even though we had seen hints of Jesse's potential to be something more as early as his attempts to mimic Walt's meth with Badger in the first season, his speech about the box he made in shop class really showed that even he recognized his wasted potential.

I could go on, but the more I look at the episode list, the more I realize that there are just too many great little moments to recount.
 
The fact that Jesse's speeches in Problem Dog AND One Minute (his rant to Walt about how he turned his life to shit is better than forty end-episode shootouts put together) are nowhere in that top 10 has made me realize that maybe I just enjoy the show for different reasons and that's why I hopped off Team Walt so early, why I think Skyler is a victim not a "bitch" (ugh).

I'm less thrilled by big setpieces than I am moved by key character moments.

My top 5 would be

5- Mike's Half Measures Speech

4- Crawl Space ending

3- Walt's realization of the perfect moment for his death

2- Jesse telling Walt how he turned his life to shit in One Minute

1- Jesse's speech in Problem Dog

In that order
 
BenjaminBirdie said:
I'm less thrilled by big setpieces than I am moved by key character moments.
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Look at you being all pretentious :) if I gave my list of top episodes, it would have been very different, with more of a focus on the bottle episodes and character-, not plot-driven moments. But in listing the top 10 moments from the show that will stay with me forever, a lot of them - naturally - are the most traditionally dramatic ones. I think I gave a decent mix of the two, however.

I also don't like the implication that I sympathise with Walt and hate Skyler, nothing could be further from the truth. Don't assume, on account of my list, that I treat Breaking Bad as an action show.
 
So many of my Top 10 are second season/late first season. I'll think of five off of the top of my head:

5. Walt freaking out punching the steering wheel in his car after the "This is not meth" scene.

4. "Stay out of my territory". TV on the Radio - DLZ was the perfect musical choice for this scene.

3. "Fuck you" to Gretchen.

2. Walt punching the shit out of the bathroom paper towel dispenser upon hearing that his cancer is in remission.

1. Walt's Fly monologue. I love how they took a throwaway scene before he left the house and watched Jane die and filled it with poignancy after the fact.
 
blahblah...blah said:
Look at you being all pretentious :) if I gave my list of top episodes, it would have been very different, with more of a focus on the bottle episodes and character-, not plot-driven moments. But in listing the top 10 moments from the show that will stay with me forever, a lot of them - naturally - are the most traditionally dramatic ones. I think I gave a decent mix of the two, however.

I also don't like the implication that I sympathise with Walt and hate Skyler, nothing could be further from the truth. Don't assume, on account of my list, that I treat Breaking Bad as an action show.
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I didn't mean you specifically. I meant thinking about my own faves made me think on that particular subject. Sorry if I implied otherwise.
 
blahblah...blah said:
In the spirit of the latest LTTP Breaking Bad thread, which made me relive seasons 1 and 2 (which I haven't seen in a long time, by now), I thought it might be interesting to see people's top 10 moments of the show so far, up to and including the latest episode. I don't think you'll find much controversial in here, except perhaps number 10, but still, it just goes to show how many amazing moments there are in this show. Note also that many fantastic episodes don't get a look in, as they lack a single defining scene to me - such excellent episodes include Better Call Saul, 4 Days Out, and Full Measure).
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I couldn't find a video of it, but the cooking scene from Hazard Pay (the first cook in the pest controlled house) has to be there.
And that episode is up there with the best of the series.
dave is ok said:
4. "Stay out of my territory". TV on the Radio - DLZ was the perfect musical choice for this scene.
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Hell to the fuck yeah.
 
I found Mike's behavior before his death to be highly out of character. No way he trusts Walt to pick up the bag and deliver it. Even so, Mike would have had his own gun drawn at Walt when he showed up, opened the bag in front of Walt to make sure all was in order, then made a safe exit with his eyes and gun still on Walt.

I know the writers had to kill Mike by Walt's hand, but I think it could have been done much better.
 
inm8num2 said:
I found Mike's behavior before his death to be highly out of character. No way he trusts Walt to pick up the bag and deliver it. Even so, Mike would have had his own gun drawn at Walt when he showed up, opened the bag in front of Walt to make sure all was in order, then made a safe exit with his eyes and gun still on Walt.

I know the writers had to kill Mike by Walt's hand, but I think it could have been done much better.
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I assumed Mike didn't have a gun since he got rid of everything, but then he had a gun when Walt found him. It did seem a bit weird.
 
inm8num2 said:
I found Mike's behavior before his death to be highly out of character. No way he trusts Walt to pick up the bag and deliver it. Even so, Mike would have had his own gun drawn at Walt when he showed up, opened the bag in front of Walt to make sure all was in order, then made a safe exit with his eyes and gun still on Walt.

I know the writers had to kill Mike by Walt's hand, but I think it could have been done much better.
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I agree, and I think the last two episodes had a bit of sloppy writing.
I think the whole setup for them getting offered money of the methylamine in an all or nothing way and Walt rejecting it was very much of the "oh, how (in)convenient" variety.
But the show was always guilty of it to some degree.

p.s.
Obviously, when I say sloppy, I mean by the show's standards, and I still enjoys the show very much.
 
inm8num2 said:
I found Mike's behavior before his death to be highly out of character. No way he trusts Walt to pick up the bag and deliver it. Even so, Mike would have had his own gun drawn at Walt when he showed up, opened the bag in front of Walt to make sure all was in order, then made a safe exit with his eyes and gun still on Walt.

I know the writers had to kill Mike by Walt's hand, but I think it could have been done much better.
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I rationalized it by deciding that he had to just leave his granddaughter behind FOREVER (without any explanation), and he was probably wasn't in the right mind.
 
dmshaposv said:
Also this is how I'd rate the seasons so far (along with my highlight of the season):

Season 1: 8.5/10. Highlight: "This is not meth!"

Season 2: 8/10. Highlight: Jane's death.

Season 3: 9/10. Highlight: "Run!"

Season 4: 9.5/10.

Highlight: "Where is the money, Skylar?!!", but many more. Best season of T.V. of all time.

Season 5 [part one]: So far looking like between 8.5 - 9. The highlight being the train robbery scene.
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I agree with this. Man, Season 4 was on another level. The buildup to the end of Crawl Space was pretty incredible.
 
Aaron Paul's acting has been stellar all show long, I hated him the first two season...why?

Because he played that character so well, just seemed so stupid and had no sympathy for him but now as his character has evolved he has been able to show real growth in the character.

Amazing really.
 
Yeah The progression of Walter into Heisenberg gets all the attention, but the transformation from season one Jesse to the self aware,sensitive Jesse we see now is also astonishing!
 
I like the lists. Keep them coming. Interesting to see.

I will make mine tomorrow. But Crawl Space, first Walt / Gus meeting and Gustavo goodbye walk are in there for sure.

Avoided this topic ever since the last 2 eps, didn't watch promos either. This next episode will be amazing.
 
This is Aaron Paul's weakest season. His character development is good, great, but less screen time and not much humor can't top previous seasons.
 
I don't know how I would order them by my favorite, so I'll just order them by appearance (with some probably out of order):

  1. Season One Episode One - Walter quits his job at the car wash
    This was not only funny at the time but became funnier when it was brought up again later. The transformation of Walt from a mild mannered man to a narcissistic killer is one of the biggest appeals of the show. This is where it started.
  2. Season One Episode Six - Mercury explosion at Tuco's hideout
    This showed Walt wasn't fucking around. Surprised me greatly.
  3. Season Two Episode Six - The entire scene in the druggie house
    Boy, they sure colored the life of a druggie here. I felt particularly sad for the kid. The ending too was a shocker.
  4. Season Two Episode Seven - Severed tortoise head
    A "holy shit" moment for me. Hank's reaction was particularly impactful. It had a lasting impact on the character as well.
  5. Season Four Episode One - Box cutter
    Another holy shit moment. The entire build up was amazing.
  6. Season Four Episode One - They're minerals!
    Not this particular scene in general, but the mineral collection was a funny running gag throughout the season.
  7. Season Four Episode Three - Skyler tricks Bogdan into selling the car wash
    I believe this is the point that Skyler "breaks bad". Her confrontation of Bogdan (including a reference to the crouch grab), the actor she coaches and her overall professional demeanor showed she wasn't a dumb woman.
  8. Season Four Episode Eleven - Crawl space
    The music, Walt's hysteria and Skyler's reaction made this scene one hard to forget.
  9. Season Five Episode One - Magnets
    Incredible music, effects and the fact it was plausible to work.
  10. Season Five Episode Five - Train heist
    Probably the best episode of the entire series, especially the downer ending.

The best scene from season three from me was when Hank was fooled into leaving the junk yard where Jesse and Walt were inside the RV. His tension to protect Marie and his anger toward Jesse were well acted. Season three is the weakest season IMO.
 
EdibleExplosives said:
Jesse's character arc has been brilliant. I'm so glad he's finally getting a backbone this season though and I really hope he finds out about Brock or Jane soon.
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I really think he might, look at it if they want a cliff hanger ending to this part of the season why not have Jesse find out about Walt killing Mike and then boom huge eruption conversation in which Heisenberg being the untouchable badass that he thinks he is comes clean about Brock and Jane to Jesse in an intimidation tactic.

I could seeing it happening.
 
Not sure how he'd find out about Brock, although I guess it wouldn't be unexpected for Walt to rage on him and tell him every horrible thing he's done with Jane, Brock, etc.

Maybe Walt can start smoking the stuff and beat people down in a drug fueled rage! Just remember that it's not very Christian.
 
What's everyone's favorite meth cooking montage?

One that sticks out in my mind is when Gale and Walt cook to Vince Guaraldi's Ginza Samba. So classy.

I can't find a video of it, but I also really liked the scene where Walt and Jesse cook in the fumigated house for the first time.
 
JasonMCG said:
I rationalized it by deciding that he had to just leave his granddaughter behind FOREVER (without any explanation), and he was probably wasn't in the right mind.
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That, and he didn't really have any other way to get the bag. I'm sure all the guys he worked with under Gus are either in prison or have long since left town, so Saul, Jesse, and Walt were the closest he had to people he could trust. Saul wouldn't get the bag, he didn't want Jesse to get it, so that just left Walt.

He had no reason to think that Walt would just outright murder him. Like he told Walt, everybody needed to leave town, since the nine guys are now very likely to flip without their hazard pay.
 
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